Feeding mechanism for sewing machines



@een ll 1923.

P. HLEB FEEDING MBUHiSM FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Nov. 5, 1920 WITNESSES: INVENTOR Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Patented Dec. 1l, 1923.

UrrED; STATES PATENT erica.

PETER HLEB, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 THE SINGER MANUFACTUR- ING COIIPANY, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY; CORPOBATIGN OF NEW JERSEY.

FEEDING MECHNISM FOB SEWING MACHINES.

`Application led November' 5, 1920. Serial No. tft1,815..

To all whom it ma concern:

Be it known that PETER HLEB, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elizabeth, in the count of Union and State of New Improvements in Feeding Mechanisms for Sewing Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein tothe accompanying drawings.

VThis invention rela-tes to sewing Imachine feeding mechanism, more particularly of the reversible type such as disclosed in the United States patent to Diehl No. 575,339. In the construction disclosed in the Diehl patent, the feed-regulating lever is formed with an obtuse V-shaped recess to receive the tapered end of an adjusting screw which serves as an abutment to limit the movements of the feed-reversing lever in opposite directions. A disadvantage of this prior construction lies in the non-indicating character of the adjustment. A predetermined stitch length cannot be secured except by turning the adjusting screw to what is thought tc be about the right position and subsequently testing the result by trial sewing, repeating this cut-and-try process', until the desired stitch length is secured. Another disadvantage of said prior con'- struction lies in the inherent sensitiveness of the feed-adjustment. There is a tendency for the faces of the if-shaped recess and the point of the adjusting screw to become worn irregularly and when these parts begin to wear itl becomes increasingly diiiicult to accurately secure a desired feed adjustment.v

The effect of this condition is aggravated by the relative nearness of the adjusting screw to the pivot of the feed-adjusting lever and by the tendency of the side thrust on the feed-adjusting lever to wear the pivotal support therefor and permit side play.

The present invention has vfor an object to provide a feed adjustment and stop expedient of the type disclosed in saidDiehl patent which will be simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture and which will be accurate and reliable in use. Another object of the invention is to provide a stop expedient of the class described which will be self-indicating -in character,

thus enabling the operator to select and accurately obtain' at an instants notice, the

present embo iment of the invention the Ifeed isof the reversible type and the stopplateispreferably so located that when the .feed-adjusting lever is in neutral position, 1. e., the position of zero feed, it occuples a position at the center of the stop-plate and may be lshifted vertically in opposite directions away from said center to increase the amplitude of feed in both al forward and a reverse direction. The aperture in the stopplate may comprise a merged series of angularly spaced diametrical slots of different lengths intersecting at the center of adjustment of the stop-plate. Preferably,'the slots are of progressively greater lengths and each extends equal distances on opposite sides ot the center of adjustment, so that whichever slot or corresponding pair et stops is selected and shifted into register with the path of'movement of the feed-regulating lever, the ends of the selected slot which constitute the corresponding pair will serve to arrest theeed-regulating lever at opposed positions of equal feed length.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention in its preferred embodiment in a machine such as represented in the Miller et al. Patent No."229,629, of July 6, 1880, Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front side elevation of the bracket-arm or gooseneck of a sewing machine embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section ofthe complete sewin head on the line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fi 3 is a etail perspective view of the stop-p ate and associated parts and Fig, ft

lis a. diagraatic view iliusting to oscillate the shuttle-driving shaft 7. The

main-shaft C carries the cam 8 which is embraced by the forked upper extremity of the usual feedactuating pitman 9 connected at its lower end to an arm 10 fixed to the feed-Y advancing rock-shaft 11. The rock-shaft 11 also hasfixed thereto the rock-2111112 to which is pivoted at 13 the feed-bar 14 carryin the feed-dog 15 and resting upon the fee -lifting cam 16 ,fixed to the shuttlemain 9 1s connected by the link 17 to one arm of the' bellcrank feed-regulating lever 18 which is pivoted at 19 to a lug 20 pgrojectng inwardly from the bracket-arm The bracket-arm B is preferabl formed at its front side with a circular epression or recess 21 diammetrically of which extends the `vertical slot 22 in the front wall of the bracket-arm. The slot 22 admits the shank of the extensin handle 23 which is screwed into the other arm of the feed-regulating lever 18'. When the handle 23 1s horizontal or midway between the ends of the slot 22 it is in so-called neutral position or the position' of zero feed. When it is shifted u wardly a iven distance, the feed is forwar lor towar the right, Fig. 2, when shifted downwardly a similar distance, the amplitude of the feed is unchanged but the direction of feed is reversed.

Y Seated within the circular recess 21 is the circularly adjustable stop-plate 24 having a linger-piece 25 and a segmental slot 26 through which passes the holdin screw 26. The stop-plate 24 is formed wit a mer d. series of angularly spaced diametrical s ots 27 intersecting at the center 28 of adjustment as indicatedl in Fig. 4. These slots are ofy varying lengths and each extends equal distances on opposite sides of the center 28. The stop-plate 24 and associated stops are in plain sight and it will be evident that by shifting the plate 24 circularly any one of the slots may be set in register with the slot 22, whereby theends of the selected one of said slots will act as abutments or stops. 29 for the feed-regulating lever 18. As these stops 29 are arranged in pairs with the stops of each pair at e ual distances from the center 28 or neutra position of the lever 18, it will be evident that the feed may be instantly reversed, as when finishing oi a seam, without affecting the length of the stitch selected.

ving shaft 7. The feed-actuating pit-V While'disclosed in connection with a reverse feed mechanism, the invention is, in certain aspects, useful in machines not possessed of the feed-reversing feature, as well beapparent from the present discosure to those skiiied in the art. i

Having tlrus set forth the nature of ,the invention, what claim herein isl. The combination with sewing machine l stops and adjustable so t at any selected one of said stops may be shifted into operative relation with the feed-regulating lever.

3. The combination with sewing machine feeding mechanism including a shiftable feed-regulating element, of a circularly adjustable member having a series of angularly spaced stops disposed at different distances from the center of adjustment of said member and adapted to locate the feed-regulating element at various predetermined positions of adjustment.

4.`The combination with sewing machine feeding mechanism including a shiftable feed-regulating lever, of a circularly adjustable apertured stop-plate through which said lever projects, the aperture in said plate comprising a series of radial slots of different lengths.

5^. In a sewing machine, the combination with reversible feeding' mechanism including a feed-control1ing element reversely shiftable through a neutral position, of-a plurality of pairs of connected stops for said element, the stops of each pair being arranged, respectively, at opposite sides of the neutral position of said element.

6. In a sewing machine, the combination with feeding mechanism including a shift-v able feed-controlling element, of a circularly adjustable apertured stop-element entered by said controlling element and formed with a series of stop-shoulders at varying disstances from the center of adjustment.

7. In a sewing machine, the combinationV with reversible feeding mechanism including a reversely shiftable feed-controlling element, of a circularly adjustable apertured stop-element entered by said controlling element and formed with a' plurality of pairs of diametrically opposed stop-shoulders at varying distances from Ithe centerv of adjustment. j

8. The combination with a reversible feeding mechanism including a feed-conizo trolling element shift-,able in diroctions boing spaced greater di 1 from tions from aneutral position, oncircularly oaidhoutml position than others of said adjustable apertured stopl Athrough .wall portions.

which said feed-controllin @Fement projects In fStmODy Whereqf I hv Slgned my said stop-plate having wa rtions s mme to'thl SPGCICMIOD- from the neutral position the fee -conv trolling element, certain of said wallpor- PETER HLEB. 

